Alisha Waller Building Effective Teams 1/18/94 Building Effective Teams Alisha Waller, Ph. D. Teaching Enrichment Opportunities For Faculty Reference: Team Building Workshop ASEE 1993 Annual Conference Bellamy, et al. Arizona State University Five Stages of Team Development 1. Forming (orientation) Task exploration Polite discourse At this stage, the team is coming together to define the task. Interactions are tentative and polite. Team members begin to assess each others' strengths and weaknesses. Role definition begins. 2. Storming (conflict) Disagreement over procedures Criticism of ideas At this stage, the team begins to be more honest about disagreements. Individuals push to see how much influence they have over the group decisions. Some hostility and resistance may be experienced. Frustration levels with the group and the task rise. 3. Norming (cohesion) Definition of roles & standards Agreement on procedures At this stage, the team defines what will be the normal operating procedures. They experience a growth of cohesiveness and unity. Group decision making processes are negotiated. 4. Performing (performance) Goal achievement Mutual cooperation At this stage, the team is highly motivated and focused on performance and production. Cooperation and an attitude of "Let's get this done" prevails. 5. Adjorning (dissolution) Completion of tasks Disintegration and withdrawal At this stage, the team breaks up as tasks are completed. There is increased independence and withdrawal from the team. Some members may feel a deep regret that the team is dissolving. What Employers Want Source: Workplace Basics: The Skills Employers Want, American Society for Training and Development and U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, 1988. Learning to Learn Listening and Oral Communication Competence in Reading, Writing, and Computation Adaptability: Creative Thinking and Problem Solving Personal Management: Self-Esteem, Goals, Career Development Group Effectiveness: Interpersonal Skills, Negotiation, and Teamwork Leadership Six Types of Team Decisions Unilateral / Authoritarian : One person makes the decision and imposes it upon the team. Low level of commitment from other team members. X | XXXXXX Handclasp : Two team members make a decision and impose it on the team. Low level of commitment from other members. XX | XXXXX Minority : Several members make a decision and impose it upon the majority, who have been disenfranchised. Decision quality suffers because of the lack of input from the majority and commitment to the decision is low among those outside the minority. XXX | XXXX Majority : "Democratic". Majority rule has the illusion of fairness, but it cuts off discussion, thereby reducing decision quality. It also elicits no commitment to the decision from the losing minority. XXXXX | XX Unanimity : Each team member has veto power. Action is rarely taken, since one opposing member can prevent it. The U. N. Security Council is an example. XXXXXXX | Consensus : Difficult to achieve, but results in the best decision quality and the highest level of commitment to the team decision. Achieving consensus involves compromise on the part of all members, but it is each member's responsibility to present her/his position as effectively as possible. The alternatives are discussed and refined until a consensus is attained. Everyone is able to say, "I might take a different course of action if it were entirely up to me, but I commit my support to the plan we have all agreed upon." VVVVVVV Task Performance Analysis of problem or task structure Suggesting solutions Asking for information Summarizing Delegating Refocusing team on task Pushing for a team decision Team Maintenance Telling a joke Mediating a conflict between team members Encouraging all to participate Showing approval Suggesting a break from work Reminding members of norms for cooperation Encouraging and modeling positive affect for team members Team Roles Leader : provides structure and guidance to allow maximum participation Facilitator : (Faculty Advisor) Provides feedback on team's process and progress; functions as a coach/consultant to the team Gatekeeper : Makes sure that all members of the group are participating ( limit dominating members, stimulate quiet members) Checker : Makes sure that everyone in the group understands what is happening and can correctly represent the group's work if asked by an outsider. Recorder : Writes down all the ideas and material generated during the working meeting. Devil's Advocate : Makes sure that opposing ideas are brought up and discussed. Prevents "Group No Think". Encourager : Makes sure that everyone in the group is getting positive recognition for their contribution. Resource Holder : Holds and distributes the information passed on to this working group by the parent group. Common Team Problems Floundering Overbearing participants Dominating participants Reluctant participants Unquestioned acceptance of opinions as facts Rush to accomplishment Attribution Discounts and sarcasm Digression and tangents Feuding members Solutions Contract of commitment Agendas Professional behavior in meetings Communication : verbal & written Explicit task assignments Review at end of each meeting tasks and deadlines Periodically process how well group is functioning